Why are bjds so much money?

because its hand-made? (hand-made stuff is always more expensive)

 

This is so beautifully put.

One of the things that never fails to amuse me are the people who meet this argument with: "But I don't want to buy a product full of mistakes!" -- when it's actually the reverse. When you're paying more for skilled labor and experience, part of what you're paying for is the lessons learned, and the mistakes (that might have an impact on the item in hand) that are already overcome -- and therefore not present in the item you're buying. I know I explained that as badly as the comment I'm agreeing with explained it well, but hopefully the point makes it through somehow.

 

Coming from a professional standpoint in art (Tattooing)
"Good art is not cheap, cheap art is not good."

I've invested nearly $4,000 into tattooing. Not only that, it was a year or so before I could pick up a machine. I am -still- working my way up to becoming a better artist.

What I am trying say, is that it takes a lot of money, a lot of effort, a lot of dedication to do something you are passionate about. Having good materials, good supplies, well running tools and machines, makes a difference compared to some "walmart" brand item.

I've also started in on another hobby. Special Effects Prosthetics. This requires casting and making molds, and working with expensive materials. (Yet more attainable since I don't need to pay for and maintain a license) It takes a lot of time and patience to work in this hobby. A lot of money as well.
You just can't afford to "cut corners" or use cheap materials because the product will not come out the same, and you will be cheating not only yourself, but your potential buyer. It's not good business either.

Time an materials cost is a killer.lol

 

All the reasons have really been said, but I believe I can sum it all up.

You're paying for a piece of interactive artwork, a collector's item if you will. From the cast to the faceup, to the clothes, they're all someone's masterpieces. Think of a BJD as the doll equivalent of owning a large oil-on-canvas painting and you'll start to see the perspective.

Plus... you buy a cheap doll/accessories and see how happy you are with the outcome. XD

 

pretty much what has been said. it really seems like a lot when you buy it, but the person who made it put in a lot of effort, time, and money. the casting and molds also require money (materials and replacing molds) and it just all adds in. keeping in mind the possible cost of imperfections when casting, they may have to absorb some of the "failed" casts as well.

not going to repeat what has been said, so i'll just add some thoughts from my own experience i tried sculpting a bjd before. 3 heads, to be precise. none of them were even close to the standards of what can be bought, even though i tried really hard. and the size of dolls, even SDs make details a really troublesome thing. but it's precisely the details that make bjds stand out, no?

and also, i tried doing art commissions before. i thought, since i'm experienced in what the style i draw, maybe i can charge and it'll be easy money. but no, i ended up spending a few days, even on just sketches, for something that the person only pays SGD$10 (that's roughly $7 in USD). the money spent on the product is really really just a fraction of the effort put into it. so even for experienced bjd artists/commissioners/customisers/clothes maker/you name it, no matter how much experience they have, there's always an effort in doing their work, no matter how simple it may seem.

 

Hah! This made me laugh a lot!

I think it's easy to sit there and wonder why the heck something can be so pricey. Then you break things down and take a look a the process and realize that a few hundred is nothing in the end. Granted, I am still new to this and wonder how some dolls can cost $1K+ while another might be a few hundred less, but I am still learning.

 

I think it is because their manufacture is complicated and the material. But I don't think it is deserve like some famous brand price.
Nowadays there are so many new companies and I like their appropriate price. Like Volks price, it is too high and I don't think it is worthy.

 

Everyone else already gave you the real answers, but honestly, if you wanna nice, easy, practical way of getting your head around it, attempt ANY of the wide and varied skills required to make a doll, it's wig, eyes, clothing, shoes and accessories yourself and then see if you still can't fathom the price.

 

Er... have you ever actually handled a Volks doll? Not to offend owners of cheaper dolls but seriously, get them side by side and you'll see why there's a price difference between a $150 BBB/Resinsoul/etc and a $600 Volks/Soom/Luts/take your pick.

 

The thread is not really about putting down one company. We have already discussed the Volks price point to death on DOA and your comment comes across a bit like trolling.

I am sure you can find some interesting threads where owners explain why they think Volks is worth or not worth the price and they base their opinions on facts and experience.

 

Er...what?

I thought we had at least gotten beyond Volks-bashing for a while...I suppose not. But at any rate, I'm going to agree with River here. There are reasons why Volks dolls cost more than, say, Bobobies, and they're obvious the second you get two dolls in hand. At any rate, the idea that Volks is somehow insanely overpriced is entirely incorrect as there are many, many other companies whose dolls are as much as or more than Volks dolls. Soom MDs and Dollshes come to mind instantly. You're doubtless confusing the aftermarket price of some rare Volks limiteds with the actual original price of the dolls, which is easy to do if you're new to the hobby and haven't handled enough doll brands in person to understand. This is, however, off-topic for this thread and more suited for the zillions of threads already in existence to talk about it.

At any rate, to touch on the OP's question -- it's been answered accurately numerous times over in this thread, but it's definitely worth noting that small =/= inexpensive. Size is not a very good indicator of how much something can cost...if that was true then there wouldn't be a market for fine jewelry or expensive electronics just because they're smaller than we are.

 

I know everyone has said it, that making these things costs time and money, it is important to realise it is not just about the materials.

Yes materials to make a doll dress versus a human dress fromt he same fabric are significantly lower, however tiny notions are more expensive than full scale notions, and here is the kicker, as everyone says

Time

TIME!

I work two different jobs, and I sew. People ask how I can justify charging what I do for my outfits and I know I price myself out of the marketplace at times, but honestly it is about my time.

I love dolls and love sewing for them, but if I am at my jobs I am making between 25 and 300 and hour (one is a very valuable but irregular consultancy job, the other is a less lucrative but regular normal job) When I sew I am making a LOSS on my time. If I charge 200 for an outfit and spend $70 on materials and then I work away at it all of my free time for a week well how much am I paying myself? Not a bloody lot I can tell you! $200 is just 8 hours work at my normal job, and less than an hour at the "good" job. I don't know of a single doll tailor or seamstress who actually values their sewing time at more than $5 an hour. Some of you may, but I am not aware of it. Honestly, I think most of the tailors and seamstresses out there will agree, doll artisans underpay themselves for the most part, at least until they are selling in real volume

 

I think underpaying yourself is a big and more common thing then most people think. I was always tuaght, while in my many apprenticeships and hobby/jobs, that you need to pay yourself. The 'average Joe' doesn't realize how time consuming most processes are to do things. Especially if you want it done RIGHT.

The last job I had, I was making $100 an hour for my time and skill. Like Effigy, this job was oncall and irregular. It didn't matter the size of the work, it was how much time put into the piece I was working on.

I'd be happy to pay the price for something of good quality, rather then cut corners, and have things tear and rip or not be done right. As long as the item is sturdy, long lasting, and properly made...I will be happy with that.

 

I spent 18 months trying to sculpt a BJD-not necessarily to cast in resin, but just to do as a stone clay art doll. And we're talking a couple of hours almost every day here. I finished her, but she's rather ugly. She did stand, however, so I give myself points for that. After that, I didn't question the price of BJDs.

 

My dad (who fixes cars & knows from such complaints) always had this illustrative joke about why a repairperson can come look at your car/TV/washing-machine/computer/etc., glance at it for 5 seconds, hit it with a hammer once, & then charge you $100....

1 whack with hammer = $1
Knowing exactly where, how many times, & how hard to whack = $99

We pay this much for the expertise, the material, and the artistry, because it's not something we can do ourselves.
If it's something you CAN do yourself, then you go ahead & make your own, and you keep your mouth shut about how much other people charge for theirs.

Forreal. People these days don't even bother to FAKE the disclaimer "I searched for a thread like this and didn't find one" anymore.

 

Jenny, I saw a comic about that joke in an office somewhere. It wasn't worded the same, but it was real funny.

On a second thought...we all should just be happy the dolls are available to buy...XD I need licenses and permits for everything I do or have done. LOL

Just think, what would you do if you had to have a license to buy/make BJD's??? lol Anyways.../random.

 

I was once told by an artist that I respect, "If it looks like it was easy to make, and it is "expensive", it was probably difficult to make- but the level of skill of the artist is so great that it can make things look easy.." What was meant is that -until you really break down what the person actually had to do things may *look* easy to make- but their is a huge amount of skill involved. (now of course there are exceptions, but this is a generalized statement) =p

 

Depending on where you are and what you're working with, you might, actually -- on the making side, anyway. Some of the materials are on the toxic side. Years ago I looked into doing certain sculpt-like things (even though it never went anywhere) and was warned away from certain ones by a few other local artists because you need special permits for certain equipment and/or to use certain chemicals -- mostly, that you'd need to do it in a shed/barn/detached garage X distance from your house or others' homes if you're working in a residential district, yadda yadda yadda. Wish I remembered the specifics. There are definite elements of legalistic fuss that can come into play though, for certain. It can get even more complicated if you're in an apartment, also, and working from a home studio.

 

I think in that case it might have been advisable to lurk around a little longer, DoA can seem very overwhelming at first with the sheer amount of information on it but a little time spent reading around will definitely prove informative. ^^
Something that seems so common sense to those who've been in the hobby for a while can be a bit of a touchy subject when someone comes along and questions it without apparently doing much in the way of their own research, if there's something you're unsure about the search function on the forum is pretty damn good though it might take a little wading through threads to find exactly what you're after but believe me this topic's been covered over and over again so the information's definitely there. No one expects new people to instantly know everything about the hobby but a little research goes a long way.